AT&T, Where's the Pooled Data Plan with Rollover Megabytes? (PC World)

Saturday, March 19, 2011 2:01 PM

AT&T has pulled the plug on oceanic accumulation for its bag DSL and Uverse customers. The advise to capped accumulation comes exclusive nine months after AT&T ended oceanic access for its ambulatory accumulation plans, and sets a concerning precedent. For me, though, it meet begs the discourse of ground AT&T can't bundle those things up for a meliorate deal.

AT&T residential customers hit enjoyed oceanic accumulation up to now, but--according to AT&T--the vast eld of its customers exclusive use most 18GB per month. AT&T claims that exclusive digit percent of its customers will come close to prodigious the 150GB cap for DSL, or the 250GB cap on Uverse data. The AT&T statistics are kindred to the drawing AT&T mutual most ambulatory accumulation consumption--where supposedly exclusive digit percent of the AT&T wireless customers requirement more than 2GB per period of data.

I switched digit of the three smartphones on my AT&T kinsfolk organisation to the 200MB accumulation organisation when AT&T switched things up. They weren't using that much anyway, so switching plans allowed me to spend $15 a period on apiece device. After prodigious the 200MB cap a pair times, I still upgraded digit of the digit to the 2GB plan--plenty of accumulation and ease $5 inferior than I was stipendiary for unlimited.

But, today I am stipendiary $30 for oceanic accumulation on digit phone, $25 for 2GB of accumulation on the second, and $15 for 200MB of accumulation on the third, nonnegative $45 a period for 12Mbps accumulation finished Uverse which is today capped at 250GB. Assume for a minute that I changed my oceanic organisation to the 2GB plan--I would be stipendiary $110 per period for a compounded total of 254.2GB of data. But, according to AT&T, ratio are beatific that I exclusive rattling requirement inferior than 20GB between every of the devices combined.

Of course, I haven't still condemned into account that I am also stipendiary an added $30 a period for oceanic book messaging on the wireless kinsfolk plan. A book communication is meet data--and, in fact, AT&T reports book communication practice within the accumulation practice when watch account data--so I am not rattling trusty ground I hit to clear for it removed from the accumulation I am already stipendiary for. Add that in, and we're hunting at $140 per period for large accumulation power that I am using exclusive a cypher of.

Then, there are the added fees for tethering. AT&T is today substance a $45 accumulation organisation that includes the 2GB organisation nonnegative an added 2GB for a compounded total of 4Gb of accumulation power that crapper be mutual crossways multiple devices using the Wi-Fi point functionality in phones same the iPhone 4. But, what if I don't requirement any added accumulation capacity? Why can't I meet turn on the point and deal my humble 2GB with added devices without stipendiary more money?

I conceive AT&T is on to something, though, with the rollover transactions it offers on the vocalise plans. I hit a bet of transactions that are mutual between every of my ambulatory phones, and the transactions we don't use carry over to the incoming month. So, AT&T--when crapper we modify the pretense of treating residential and wireless accumulation separately, or stipendiary for apiece figure individually, and get something kindred for accumulation plans?

How most a pooled accumulation plan? Give me whatever tiered options--say 50GB, 150GB, and 250GB--and permit me acquire a compounded accumulation organisation that is mutual between my bag and ambulatory devices, and permit my clean megabytes rollover to the incoming month.

Oh, and kibosh pretending that a book communication isn't meet added modify of data.


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